Mystery Noir

Sweet Interlude # 2

Enzo stopped at the bottom of the stairs and after kissing me breathless, he broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against mine, panting softly. I grinned, though I sensed his hesitation, so I murmured softly. "If you don't want to..."

Enzo's eyes opened, and for a brief moment, they shone a metallic gold colour, before settling back to their dark brownish hazel. "It's not that."

"If you don't think you can manage carrying me up the stairs..." I laughed and shifted as if to slide out of his arms, only to have him wrap his arms tighter around me and start up the stairs.

"I just..." Enzo paused in the doorway of my room, before letting out a shaking breath. "This is me, Nina. Remember that. This right now..."

I kissed him then, because I knew he was trying to talk like some overly dramatic hero that he thought he had to be. The idiot thought that I would let him not make it home. I would not argue, because I knew that whatever else I would do, Enzo and Penny would be safe. I wouldn't let them not survive. But I also knew that Enzo would try to do the same for me.

I murmured against his lips, grinning. "I get it. And Enzo is exactly who I want."

Because I was a grown ass woman and I would not play hard to get or any other mind games. We both wanted it, and I refused to die being untrue to myself and my desires.

Enzo finally grinned and returned the kiss deeper and harder than before. My mind swam so headily that I didn't realize he had carried me up the stairs until we were tumbling together in bed.

By the time we were done, we were panting again, skin slick with sweat and our clothing strewn across the floor. I felt my mind drifting as Enzo's fingers stroked up and down my back. I was lying on my stomach, with him on his side, my face turned into his chest.

"Do you think Earth is salvageable?" Enzo murmured, continuing the line of random questions we had been shooting back and forth between us as we came down from our ecstasy.

"Yes." I didn't look up at him, because what I was saying was completely opposite to the skeptical mask I showed the world. "I think it has a long way to go, and there are so very many things that can go wrong, but I have hope for the capacity the world, and everyone on it, has for good. I'm just there to... protect that capacity."

"As a private investigator." Enzo's voice was slightly amused, but not as much as I expected it to be.

"It's why I do what I do. I help people, try to protect the good. I wanted to be a cop for that reason, kind of did it weird with the PhD and FBI thing, but... I found... that I was just part of a broken system. I wasn't helping fix things. Sometimes I would help people, but not enough. The system always had a way of making that help break down under its oppressive weight, but... Now, now I help people. And all the other shit pays the bills." I shrugged and finally looked up to him.

His expression was sad, though he was smiling. "You hide it well, but you're probably the biggest softie I've ever met."

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Ok, on that topic. If you could live a safe and happy life or you could make a difference and possibly give up that paradise, what would you choose?"

"There was a long time... when I thought I had... earned... to just be safe and happy for once. I worked... really hard to just... get to that spot...." Enzo was contemplative, then he sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. Can we be happy, knowing people need us? Can we be fulfilled with idleness? But... at the same time... I just feel like I've earned a rest."

"I think you have." I nodded and shifted, turning to face him, kissing him softly. Enzo returned the kiss, but kept it chaste, his hand stroking my back.

"Have a nap, Nina... I can see you want to. I won't let you sleep too long. Then we'll eat, and then we'll go find Penny." Enzo chuckled as he rolled onto his back and pulled me into his side.

I lay my head on his chest and closed my eyes. Sometimes I felt like I had earned a rest too. Sometimes I felt like I did not owe the world another god damned drop of my blood. But it always came around knocking for more.

So for a little bit longer, I would nap.

I fell asleep to the rumbling sound akin to purring that was coming from Enzo.